The Taste of Revenge
by rawr52
Summary: "She'd waited so long, travelled so far, all for this one moment in time, this feeling of satisfaction. But as she stared into those blue, blue eyes, revenge tasted unbearably bitter on her tongue."
1. Chapter 1

**The Taste of Revenge**

**By rawr52**

**Disclaimer: If you're looking for owning, you're in the wrong place. Try the BBC.**

**Summary: She'd waited so long, travelled so far, all for this one moment in time, this feeling of satisfaction. But as she stared into those blue, blue eyes, revenge tasted unbearably bitter on her tongue.**

**A/N: Let's make a deal – you read, I smile, you don't, I cry. Reviews are also appreciated.**

Her red cape flew out behind her as she rode, the sound of hooves clopping in her ears and the wind stinging her eyes. Her light blonde hair was pulled into a long plait and deep, sea green eyes could be seen beneath her crimson hood. The skirt of her sleeveless forest green dress was crinkled and wrinkly from riding and her booted feet in the rusty stirrups were aching and numb. As she glanced up at the orange sun sprinting for the horizon, she tore one hand from the reigns of her poor, aging horse and shook it free of pins and needles. She let out a growl of frustration as the sun reached the skyline and she still had not reached her destination. Eyes blazing with annoyance, she rode up to the edge of a grassy hill and pulled her horse up near a lone oak tree, where she dismounted and tied the reigns to a branch. Muttering angrily to herself as she turned to sit on the hillside, it was a few moments before she realised what she was seeing and gasped.

Stretched out beneath her, past the large expanse of lush green fields and red brick farm houses was a huge, beautiful city. It was the kind of place that just _smelled_ of money – all white brick walls and pointed grey rooftops, surrounded by a ring of towering trees that were almost too green to be completely plausible. It was good as heaven to the eyes of a village girl.

Lip curled in breathless excitement, and eyes sparkling with glee, the girl stood back up to get a better view. A long white brick wall marked the outline of the colossal city. The many turrets and towers glowed gold in the orange sunlight. Long flagpoles protruded from every roof, holding up the large red flags that could only mean one thing …

"Camelot," The girl whispered in a soft, lilting voice, and felt her breaths starting to come in gasps. She was so close. So close … "I will find him." Sparing the city one last grin, she turned on her heel and strode over to the tree, a new hope in her heart and a spring in her step. She was still beaming to herself as she took off her cloak and laid it on the floor as a makeshift mattress. As she curled up on the thin material and closed her sparkling eyes, there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her plump, pink lips. _Camelot,_ she repeated to herself, satisfaction thrumming away in her belly, _at last._

**A/N: Sorry if this is a little rushed or rusty. It's been so long since I've written anything that isn't strictly homework related. I'm suffering from severe writer's block. Reviews help me gain confidence! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to Kitty O, jediyam and particularly Owl Watcher! Your reviews were very encouraging :D**

"Ah!" _Thump. Crash! Clang!_

"Merlin!"

"Yes sire?" said a playful voice as a young man stuck his head through the gap in the armoury door and shot his master a much too innocent look. He had a shock of curly raven hair that was lying in dusty disarray, and _very_ blue eyes that were darting uncomfortably about, focussing anywhere but on his master. The congregation of armoured knights snorted at the familiar sight, and went back to their training without a second glance. Arthur growled.

"Merlin," he repeated in a dangerously low voice, advancing on the other man. He noticed that Merlin shifted backwards slightly and pulled the door closed as far as he could without squashing his bony head. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Merlin answered … much too quickly.

"Merlin…" Arthur said again and Merlin sighed.

"You're not going to like it," he said bracingly, eyes suddenly meeting the dimmer ones of his master. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"I never do," he said, as he pulled the door open and pushed Merlin out of the way.

"I did warn you," he heard the manservant mutter; before there was a slam and a clapping of foot on pavement which Arthur took to be Merlin running away. He blinked furiously at the loss of light from the slamming door, and squinted into the relative darkness. As his eyes adjusted, he gasped.

Hiding behind a bush a few feet away from the armoury door, Merlin scrunched up his eyes and waited. _Three … Two … One …_ "MERLIN!"

"Oh boy," he groaned.

...

"You complete _idiot_!" Arthur yelled. It was four hours later, and his royal Pratness was _still _raving on. "How can you be so thick? Are you really a total buffoon?" Merlin sighed and rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his hand. After a morning of having heavy pieces of metal fall on him, being clobbered by his master on a training field and being yelled at for his natural clumsiness, he really wanted nothing more than to sleep. But of course, that was never going to happen.

_Stupid prat,_ Merlin thought, glaring at Arthur as his head throbbed painfully from the force of a particularly heavy blow. _It wasn't even my fault? What's he still ranting on for?_ Okay, so _maybe_ he'd slipped and fallen while holding a bag of heavy armour, and yes, he _might _have gone tumbling headfirst into the swords rack and sent the whole thing falling to the floor, but really it was nothing to shout about! If anything, Arthur should be worried! He could've killed himself! _Bloody idiot,_ Merlin cursed.

"… and one of Alymere's finest swords! You realise _I'm_ going to have to pay for … Merlin! Are you even listening to me?"

"Wha – yes!" Merlin exclaimed, dragging himself from his acidic thoughts to answer as respectfully as possible. "Yes sire." Arthur shot him a suspicious look, but seemed too keen to keep on ranting to press the matter any further.

"And I – yes?" He broke off, looking disappointed, as a knock sounded at the door. "Come in!"

"Sire," said the Knight as he pushed open the double doors and stepped into the Prince's chambers. "You're father is holding a meeting in the main hall. We have a new arrival." Arthur groaned. This was one of the things he hated the most about being Prince – he never had any time to himself. _Or rather_, he thought to himself, _any time to torture my manservant._

"I'll be right down," he promised and sighed as he undid his metal bracers and flung them in Merlin's general direction. There was a short moment during which Merlin fumbled to catch them before he let them slip to the floor with a clatter, earning himself a sharp glare and a clip round the head. Merlin scowled and rubbed at the sore spot as Arthur slipped behind the screen and started to undress himself. "Pass me a shirt would you Merlin?" he said tiredly, and soon found the light blocked from his eyes as Merlin unceremoniously hurled a red shirt over the screen and onto Arthur's head. Arthur growled. "Idiot," he muttered to himself as he pulled the shirt on over his head and began to lace up the cuffs. "Talk about clumsy." On the other side of the screen, Merlin grinned.

...

The "meeting" consisted of four people. There was Uther, sitting superiorly up on his thrown in a long, crimson cape; Morgana looking beautiful in a flowing dress of royal purple on his right; Gwen standing some distance behind away from the raised platform in simple dress of sunny yellow; and Gaius, standing by himself near a window in his usual faded blue overalls.

"You're late Arthur," were the first words out of his father's mouth as Arthur swept dramatically into the main hall, his dark haired manservant tottering behind on his heels. Arthur fought to suppress an eye-roll. _Ah, the love of a father._

"I'm sorry father," he said solemnly, making an effort to keep the bite from his voice, "There was a hold up in my chambers," he said, throwing a pointed glance at Merlin who just stood there looking sheepish. Arthur didn't bother to hide his exasperation at this, a look which was mirrored, he saw, in the face of his father.

_Honestly,_ Uther thought, shaking his head inwardly and staring between the two, mystified, _I don't know why Arthur doesn't just sack the boy._ But he shook the thought off. Sometimes Arthur could be two noble for his own good. "Anyway," Uther said, his voice hard and crisp in the air even when he was completely at ease. "We have a new arrival in Camelot. She is rather short on money. I was hoping you would be able to find a job for her." Uther turned to the guards. "Lead her in." Arthur's brow furrowed. Since when was this much fuss ever made for a new arrival looking for a job? He frowned, but the answer to that question quickly became known as the girl stepped into the room.

She was a pretty looking thing, with light blonde hair like rays of pure morning sunlight, pulled into a long plait down her back, eyes as green as the churning sea and skin as pale and smooth as ivory. She was clearly not a noble – she had a distinctly rough air and her eyes danced with the kind of fierceness that nobility had no need for, but she was fine enough to be one. It was easy to see how she had convinced his father for a helping hand. He stared at her for a second before a muffled gasp from behind him brought him back to earth. He wanted to roll his eyes at Merlin's lack of subtlety. _Yes, she's pretty Merlin. You don't need to drool all over her._ He inwardly scoffed at his manservant's stupidity.

"Arthur, this is Eve. You may have met her before. She says she is from …"

"Ealdor, my lord," the girl said in a sweet, lilting voice that made Arthur think of fresh grass and blooming flowers. "I just came here to find work."

**A/N: Weren't expecting that now, were ya? Who is this girl? And how does Merlin know her? Review – it keeps me motivated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to Owl Watcher, jediyam, asdf, Kizzia and Kitty O for reviewing :D**

Merlin stood in the shadows like a good little manservant through the rest of the meeting, trying not to openly gawp, his mind reeling. _What's she doing here? _He asked himself. Worry battled with joy inside him as he stared at her familiar face, gazing at her enchanting eyes. She'd been gone so long. He'd started to think he'd never see her again.

"Ealdor?" Arthur repeated, confusion darting across his face, "I didn't see you when I was there."

"No, my lord," Eve said, smiling prettily. "I've not been home in a while." Merlin nodded discretely to himself. _You can say that again._ "I stopped in only briefly before setting out on my way here."

Arthur looked confused. "Don't you have any family at home?" Merlin winced. _Idiot!_ He scolded, wishing Arthur could read his thoughts.

"No." Eve said shortly, and there was a fresh, raw grief in her eyes. They were swimming with unshed tears. _Stupid prat! _Merlin thought, cursing Arthur with all he had.

"Oh," said Arthur, oh-so eloquently. "I'm sorry." Eve's head bobbed in a curt nod, and Arthur swiftly moved on, looking abashed. "So, you're looking for work?" Merlin snorted. _Oh, real smooth._

"Yes," said Eve, settling back into her relaxed manner, though her eyes still showed a trace of hurt. "I've picked up a lot of knowledge on foreign medicine during my travels. I was hoping I could be some help to your Court Physician." She turned to look at Gaius as she said this, who was eying her calculatingly, but as she looked, she caught sight of another, more familiar face. Merlin watched as a flash of _something_ stole across her expression, before she quickly battled it back, smoothing her face back into a polite smile. Merlin blinked. _What was that?_

"Of course," said Gaius after a few more moments of studying Eve's build. She was slim and elegant with a thing waist and long legs, much like the Lady Morgana, but her sleeveless gown displayed the strong arms needed for potion brewing, and she looked as though she was well used to standing for hours on end. He smiled appreciatively at her for a moment before turning to Merlin, "Goodness knows I could use the help." Merlin grimaced ruefully, and focused on a spot on Gaius's wrinkly forehead so as not to catch the Physician's eye. Eve's smile widened.

"Thank you," she said quietly, and Merlin thought he caught something like triumph shining in her eyes. That was odd …

"Excellent," said Uther briskly, clearly pleased. "Arthur, kindly take Eve on a tour around the castle and show her her new workplace. Meeting adjourned."

Merlin saw got the distinct feeling that Arthur was fighting not to roll his eyes. He thought he knew where his thoughts were directed. Honestly, it was a small gathering of mostly common people, not a meeting for war preparation. There was no need to be so formal. Rounding this statement off in what he clearly thought was a remarkable manner; he swept smartly from the room, red cape brushing the polished floor.

...

"Eve!" Merlin said as soon as Uther had rounded the corner. "What're you doing here?"

"Merlin!" Eve squealed, throwing herself at the poor boy and strangling him in a hug. "Goodness, it's good to see you, it's been too long!"

"Too right!" Merlin murmured through closed lips, trying not to get hair in his mouth. "So where have you been? What have you been up to? Tell me everything!"

"That might take a while," said Eve with laughing eyes, pulling back. "I've been gone a long time."

"Too long," Merlin declared, flashing her a toothy grin. "I'd started to think you'd died -" he broke off abruptly, mentally kicking himself and fighting the urge to clap a hand over his mouth. Best just to brush it over. It appeared Eve was thinking along the same lines.

"Nope," she smiled, though it seemed strained and rather forced, "still hanging on in there." Merlin's answering smile was just as artificial. It looked distinctly stiff. He had the feeling this was something they would have to talk about at a later time. But for now …

"I'm glad." He said, then clapped his hands together and turned to the rest of the company. "We should get going." He said, mimicking to near perfection his normal, chirpy voice.

**This is late, I know :( Sorry! But I've been on holiday so you can't blame me. Right? … Right? Oh c'mon!**

**Anyway, I know it's not much, but it'll have to do for now I'm afraid :) I'm trying to update once a week, so expect my update next Friday, and feel free to bully me into updating if I don't. Until then au ****revoir**** and *crosses fingers* leave nice reviews!**

**-Rory x**


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